Recording and playing back image variations

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a cloud-based system that records and plays back video images. The system includes a recorder service executing on a server and a client application executing on one or more client devices. The client application includes a player program and a recorder program. The recorder program captures screenshots based on a pre-defined list of events and sends the screenshots and a build request referencing the screenshots to the recorder service. The recorder service generates a play file in response to receipt of the build request using the screenshots. The play file includes metadata referencing variation images generated from the screenshots. The play file is configured to be accessible by any of the client devices for generation and playback of a video using the player program.

Description

BACKGROUND1. Technical Field[0001]This disclosure relates to techniques for recording video images and playing back a processed version of the video images, and more particularly to, techniques for recording and playing back image variations.2. Discussion of Related Art[0002]Conventional screencast software enables users to create screencasts to demonstrate how to use software. The screencast may include video and an audio narration. A screencast can be stored as a multimedia file including the video and the audio. Examples of such multimedia files include a flash video file, a moving pictures experts group (MPEG) file, and an audio video interleaved (AVI) file.[0003]Creating screencasts for tutorials and demonstrations is a time consuming process. Moreover, finding the right recorder is often challenging. The video for the screencast may be captured using conventional video capture software. However, since these programs typically capture about 25 frames per second, a file of a ver...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides systems, computer-readable media, and methods for creating and playing back video images with accurate and efficient recording and playback. The resultant videos are significantly smaller than those created by conventional video capture software.

Problems solved by technology

Creating screencasts for tutorials and demonstrations is a time consuming process.

Moreover, finding the right recorder is often challenging.

However, since these programs typically capture about 25 frames per second, a file of a very large size is created.

Since the resulting files are large in size and numerous, it can be difficult to store multiple recordings when storage space is limited.

Further, the size of these files may prevent them from being sent via electronic mail (e-mail) since many e-mail programs limit the size of an attachment to between 10 and 25 megabytes.

Additionally, it can take an exceedingly long period of time to communicate these large files to a remote destination over a computer network when the communication bandwidth is limited.

Further, conventional video capture software typically capture many ambiguous frames, where the user has either not performed an action or has not performed a relevant action.

Thus, a user watching such a tutorial wastes a great deal of time waiting for the relevant actions to be presented.

Moreover, creating documentation is a tedious task, where the development team needs to sync with the documentation team.

Often, the created documentation is out of sync with the captured video due to knowledge gaps and operational challenges that results in ambiguous documentation.

Thus, there are several technical problems with regard to conventional systems that generate screencasts.

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